Can You Really Die of Boredom?

really die of boredom? We sometimes call chronic boredom on Wei, characterized by listlessness, discontent, and sadness, a kind of mental weariness. On Wei is a French word that English speakers adopted around the sixteen to seventeen hundreds, with roots in the same words that gave us terms like annoying and odious,

which boredom certainly is. References to the idea of boredom stretch back to the ancient philosophers, but the word boredom didn't appear until these seventeen to eighteen hundreds, after which literature exploded with musings on it. Tolstoy called boredom the desire for desires, Boredom and on we are difficult to study. They're distinct from depression. Although they are associated, they can

be difficult to pin down. It's not like there's a blood test for these emotional states, and they seem to arise from a combination of both external and internal stimuli. For the article of this episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke via email with Aaron C. Westgate, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Florida. She said, boredom, like all emotions, does not have a

one to one mapping with symptoms or expressions. Or rather, we can feel bored in different ways at different times, just like we can feel anger and other emotions in a variety of ways, from quiet frustration at a late colleague to rage at a person who is harmed a loved one. Empirical evidence suggests that boredom, for instance, is sometimes associated with heightened physiological arousal like a fast heart rate, and sometimes with low arousal like a slow heart rate,

lower blood pressure, et cetera. Thus, there's likely no one way that on weave or chronic boredom feels run of the mill. Boredom alone won't kill you, but in a roundabout way, it can pose problems. Some personalities that gravitate toward high risk lifestyles also experience chronic boredom. How Stuff Works also spoke via email with Emily Edlin, PhD, a

clinical psychologist and practicing therapist. She said, neurological studies suggest that some people, like thrill seekers, need more stimulation to release the brain's pleasure and reward chemicals. For some reason, men are more likely to fall in this category. When we experience joy and excitement in a new situation, a chemical messenger or neurotransmitter called dopamine triggers that response in

our brains. It appears that high risk, boredom prone people may have naturally lower levels of dopamine, meaning that they require a heightened sense of novelty to stimulate their brains. ONWI is more likely to be experienced by people with mental disorders, and perhaps especially attention disorders like ADHD. People with brain injuries to their frontal cortex experience more boredom

and greater risk taking urges too. Interestingly, the frontal cortex also controls our perception of time, which could be linked to the sensation of time passing more slowly when we're bored. It also seems that people with low self awareness about their emotions are more prone to ANWI, Edlin said. The theory is that they do not have awareness about what

provides them satisfaction. While science doesn't completely understand the relationship between boredom and risk taking, it can spiral into danger. A study about boredom published in twenty ten in the International Journal of Epidemiology concluded those with a great deal of boredom were more likely to die during follow up than those not bored at all. In particular, they were

more likely to die from a cardiovascular disease fatal event. However, the state of boredom is almost certainly a proxy for other risk factors. In other words, the people in the study weren't dying of literal boredom, but boredom led them to unhealthy behaviors like excessive drinking, smoking, and use of other drugs. In cases like these, boredem simultaneously serves as a symptom and a stimulant for adverse behavior. People may not have the coping mechanisms and ability to put circumstances

in perspective to overcome borda leading to continuous dissatisfaction. Issues around gambling are also associated, so how can we combat this elusive pest. A study found the people who reported feelings of boredom frequently tried to alleviate it with brief distractions, including work breaks or doing laundry, but these boredom band aids soon failed. On the other hand, people who engaged

with other people or practiced findfulness were more successful. It's not easy to change our reactions to things, but you can try to revamp your thoughts about tasks that cause boredom. For example, if you're a student working on math problems that you find boring, you can remind yourself that these exercises are part of reaching your future goals. Mild boredom can be thought of as a normal part of the human experience, a contrast that sets off the fun and

beautiful moments. You can thus try to reframe boredom as okay and not something to immediately get rid of. Edlin said, the more often we allow ourselves to feel boredom not automatically picking up our phones, the more opportunities we have to tolerate it and use it to channel innovative and creative thinking. In fact, children who figure out how to tolerate boredom through their own creativity and not by depending on others,

are more likely to manage it better as adults. All that said, while you're working on mindfulness, shifting gears and starting in on some other activity can help in the short run. A Westgate said, people can do something else entirely in hopes that the new activity will be a better attentional fit that is not too hard, not too easy, and more meaningful than their current task. When searching for an activity, psychologists recommend finding an optimal amount of ease

and challenge called flow. In essence, flow means getting into a groove like our runner's high or hitting a tennis ball back and forth. It demands more skill and agility than tedious tasks, but at a low enough intensity that you reap the mental reward of accomplishment in the longer run. Engaging with healthy interests or hobbies, picking up new ones, and getting in more physical exercise have all been shown to reduce boredom for someone in the middle of own wei.

This kind of advice is at least as annoying as boredom itself, but it's definitely worth a try to get yourself feeling engaged with the world again. Today's episode is based on the articles can You Die of Boredom? Written by Kristin Konger and Embracing on wi How Boredom Can Be Good for You written by Leah Hoyt on HowStuffWorks dot com. Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with HowStuffWorks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang.

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